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Using optical tracking for kinematic testing of medical robots
Author(s) -
Jun Changhan,
Decker Ryan,
Stoianovici Dan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the international journal of medical robotics and computer assisted surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1478-596X
pISSN - 1478-5951
DOI - 10.1002/rcs.1890
Subject(s) - kinematics , computer science , laser tracker , robot , tracking (education) , computer vision , position (finance) , artificial intelligence , observational error , tracking error , simulation , mathematics , optics , physics , laser , control (management) , statistics , psychology , pedagogy , finance , classical mechanics , economics
Background In image‐guided robotic interventions, an error component is related to the positioning error of the manipulator. Therefore, measuring the kinematic error is required during robot development. However, no specialized measurement device exists for this task. This study explores the possibility of using optical tracking for robot measurement. Methods A CNC machine is used to position an optical marker, generating a gold standard reference. Repeated position measurements are acquired with an NDI Polaris Hybrid® optical tracker at each static location, and averaged. These measurements are compared to the reference set. Results Averaging repeated static position measurements improves precision (200–500 samples). Measurement accuracy ranges between 44 μm and 137 μm in close proximity of the tracker. Conclusions Repeated static position measurements in the near field of view enable the optical tracker to outperform its general‐purpose accuracy specification. Optical tracking may be used to test robot kinematics with a high degree of accuracy.